Playing with Backgrounds

 Hi!  Lately I've been seeing lots of backgrounds created with distress inks.  So, I decided to play along.  It really was fun using the distress inks and then watching the evolution of the backgrounds.  I only used two colors of distress ink on each of these cards.

For this card, I used Shabby Shutters and Faded Jeans.  I misted with water and then used a paintbrush to drop a few bigger water drops on it.  Once the water dried I splattered watered down white and black acrylic paint.  I used the Papertrey Ink Boy Basics Rock On stamp set and die.  I didn't use any dimension, so it's great for Operation Write Home.  The OWH Midweek Throwdown is to make a masculine card, so this works for the challenge too.

This one uses Pickled Raspberry and Dried Marigold distress inks.  I misted water and added a few extra water drops on this one as well.  I only used white acrylic paint for splatters here.  The stamp set is Live What you Love from Unity Stamp Co.  I also added 3 pink gems to the center of the butterfly.

These backgrounds were really fun to make, I made a couple more, but will share those another day.  I have more color combos I want to try too.  :)

Thought for the day:  "A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward."  - William John Bennett

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Mother's Day Cards for Operation Write Home

Hi -  Today's cards are based on the sketch challenge from Operation Write Home.  I made a few more Mother's Day cards to finish packing my box. 

Here is the sketch:

Here are my cards.  This first one uses paper from We R Memory Keepers and Bazzill, prima flowers, a Quickutz die for the leaves and some soft twine.  These are not my go-to colors, but I like how it turned out. 

This one uses paper from We R Memory Keepers and Chatterbox and the same soft twine.   I love how this paper shines.  :)

Thought for the day:  "Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk."   - Doug Larson

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Masculine Masking

Hi - I am still learning new techniques with the Online Card Class - CAS3.  However, I am learning that the CAS style is still a struggle for me, LOL!  

I LOVE the technques I'm learning and will definitely be using them but I might just be including them in cards that are more my style.  :)  This card uses masking to create the plaid, a REALLY fun technique!  The stamp/die cut are from Hero Arts and it is inlaid into the card creating one layer.  I love how flat I am learning to make my cards, it works well for mailing, which is what I usually have to do and it also works well for Operation Write Home!   I tried to make this a truly one layer card, but for me it needed the definition of the brown cardstock around the outside.   I really wanted to add more, like a fish-tailed banner with a sentiment across the bottom, but I kept it CAS.....at least for now.  :)

I am enjoying the class tremendously and will definitely look more closely at future classes.  :)

Thought for the day:  "There's not a lot of traffic when you go the extra mile. "  - unknown

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Die Cut Inlays

Hi!  I am taking my first Online Card Class.  The one I am taking is Clean and Simple 3.  I have trouble with the Clean and Simple style, but I really do love it.  Today was the first day of class and below are my 'homework' assignements.  I used a technique called die cut inlay.   

I really like how this one turned out, but I do want to play around with more and add some detail like some faux stitching or doodling around the hearts.  For this one however, I kept it clean and simple.  :)

This one was actually my first attempt, but it didn't have enough color in it for me.  The inlaid stars are cut with fantasy fiber so they sparkle.  I added some stars stamped with Versamark ink and did some faux stitching around the stars.   I will write a note to a hero in this one and include it in my box for Operation Write Home. 

I can't wait to play along again tomorrow!

Thought for the day:  

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Happy Mom's Day

Hi!  Does it feel a little early to be thinking about Mother's Day cards?  Operation Write Home's midweek throwdown challenge is getting us started thinking about them.  Since the cards have to have time to be sent to OWH, then overseas and then back home, we really have to think ahead.  I'm so glad that OWH reminds us of these deadlines.  I usually don't make specific holiday cards because if something comes up and I can't mail my boxes in time, the seasonal cards are too late.  But, I have a box that I'm finishing up so I figured I can get a few Mother's Day cards in there.  :)  I used the sketch from SplitCoastStampers sketch challenge for today, and here is my card. 

Many of my crafting supplies are in our storage building right now, so I didn't have the Mother's Day stamp I was looking for.  But, happily I have this set, which I have never used before today, bonus for me!  :)  I love bright colors, so I love these papers!

Thought for the day:  I love Eeyore!!  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Thank You and Turquoise

Hi -  I have some exciting news to share today.  Operation Write Home contacted me about using a card that I made as a sketch for today's sketch challenge.  Oh my goodness!!  I am very excited to be a part of this organization!  Here is a link to the sketch challenge.  I will be making cards with the sketch but the ones I am sharing today are for two other OWH challenges. 

The first one is for the Our Daily Bread Designs monthly challenge.  For every 25 cards linked to the post, ODBD will pay the shipping for one box of cards overseas, up to two boxes.  The theme is thank you.  I have been working with these papers as you will see in the card below as well.  They are from the We R Memory Keepers Happy Campers collection.  The tag that 'thank you' is stamped is from Me and My Big Ideas I think.  I added a metal turn, a bit of twill and some doodling. 

  

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This card is for last week's Midweek Throwdown, to use turquoise.  I've had this card in my head since last Wednesday, but haven't had the chance to finish it, until now.  :)

Again the paper is from the We R Memory Keepers Happy Campers Collection and the tag is from Me and My Big Ideas.   I colored the inside of the sentiment with Copics and dotted with white souffle pen, then I added some ribbon and star sequins.  I think I really am getting into this sequin trend.

Thought for the day:

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Operation Write Home request and a Sketch

Hi!  Operation Write Home has had a request for some cowboy/western cards.  I have a box almost ready to go out, so I decided to add a few cowboy cards to it.  

I used the SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge for today.  It was a fun sketch and I think I will use it again.

Thought for the day:  

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Flowers and WeRMemory Keepers

Hi - Today's card is for one of the new challenges I have been following, the Card Concept.  You have to put your card into one of six categories, EEEK!  I still don't know what my 'go-to' style is so this is hard for me to do.  

The challenge is to use a floral theme.  I found these really fun WeRMemory Keepers papers and I do mean they are fun.   They are from a collection called Feelin' Groovy, that's just fun by itself!!   You know how much I love double sided papers, well the ones I used today have one pattern on one side and the second side is four different patterns!!!  I LOVE these!   I don't know how old the collection is, I found these at Tuesday Morning, but I still love them.  :)

Here is my card.

The stamp I used is an older one and I think it's from Hero Arts.  I added Prima flowers and sequins.  Oh, I used a fiskars border punch on the far left side.   I am going to put this one into the Clean and Layered category because it still has a lot of white space.   This is a fun challenge that makes me think,  LOL.

Thank You cards are needed for Operation Write Home so I will be making a few of these for my box.

Thought for the day:  "It is not our abilities that show what we truly are:  it is our choices."  -  Albus Dumbledore

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

You Rock!

What is up with winter this year?  We had snow yesterday.....snow in Mississippi! We didn't have a whole lot of it, but enough to make the ground look white in places. It was so pretty coming down,  I really do miss the snow.  

Today's card was made for the Operation Write Home midweek throwdown, cards for kids ( including tweens and teens.)  I used the SplitCoastStampers sketch 473. 

I think teen/tween cards are the most difficult to make, especially for boys.   I'm going to work on getting better at making these.   The controller on this one is a bit 'old school' but that's how it goes.  Technology changes so quickly!  I think my favorite part of this card is the 'you're the man' that shows up on the top patterned paper.

The sentiment stamp is open letters that I stamped directly onto the yellow paper.  It got just a bit lost so I used the C3 Copic marker, which is a cool gray, and shaded it.  I like that it doesn't really introduce another color into the card, but it does make the sentiment stand out a bit more.  I've done this a few times now and it works well.

Quote for the day:  "People who shine from within don't need the spotlight."  - Unknown

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!